


Saturday

by theultimatezb



Category: The Bold Type
Genre: F/F, Happy Ending, Mentions of deportation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 18:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15200567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theultimatezb/pseuds/theultimatezb
Summary: Kat knows there could be a dozen reasons why she's coming home to an empty apartment. But love can be as cruel as it is beautiful and amazing – it can lift you up into the skies in joy yet bring you to your knees in despair.It doesn’t need a reason to rip you apart.





	Saturday

Kat knows there could be a dozen reasons why she's coming home to an empty apartment. But love can be as cruel as it is beautiful and amazing – it can lift you up into the skies in joy yet bring you to your knees in despair.

It doesn’t need a reason to rip you apart.

Just outside the walls of her apartment, the city is striving under the beautiful weather - the sun is shining brightly but not enough to cause the residents of New York to break into a horrible sweat - the cool breeze of a Saturday afternoon lifting everybody's moods. Life goes on in the usual chaos that is the city.

Inside her brightly lit apartment, Kat can smell Adena's presence in the cosy space, from the faint scent of her perfume to the bouquet of sweet flowers kept in a vase that she'd gotten Kat last night for their romantic night in.

She can see some of Adena's belongings in her immediate vicinity - prayer rug tucked neatly away in a corner, a couple of sweaters and head scarves hanging on the rack along with a few of Kat's own favourite jackets and a bunch of other knick-knacks they'd both collected together during their travels. And Adena's phone, lying on the dining table next to her closed laptop.

Unbeknownst to the outside world, Kat's own universe has just felt an overwhelming turbulence.

It's from seeing Adena's phone and no Adena that triggered the crippling fear that has risen from the pit of her stomach and is threatening to tear her apart.

If Kat isn't too preoccupied with the nauseating terror she's feeling right now, she'd take this time to fully realize just how much of Adena has invaded her home and also her as a being. Every part of Adena seemed to have slotted into her life perfectly and nothing feels out of place or unwelcomed – just like how exchanging their mutual "I love you's" felt natural and a long time coming despite only dating for a few short months.

Fortunately, after Adena's photo shoot for Scarlet, a couple of jobs start lining up and soon enough, her career began to pick up enough traction that she's working regularly now. The initial fear of not having a work visa is resolved but not a forgotten memory. The worry of deportation will always be there, a factor in their relationship and their lives.

Some days, Kat can see the uneasiness in Adena's eyes and the worry on her bottom lip. It didn't need to be said, but Kat knows her girlfriend doesn't feel safe at times and she hates that no matter how much many nights they fall asleep with Adena protectively wrapped around Kat's arms, how tightly laced their fingers are when they're out on the streets, an arm draped around smaller shoulders that Kat will never be able to remove that feeling of impending doom and fear from Adena.

Kat herself has similar anxieties riddling her mind too, afraid that one day she'd let go of Adena's hand and never see her again, or she'd go to work and come home to an empty apartment. Of course they'd talk about it, soothing each other's insecurities as best as they could. But at the end of the day, it’ll never truly go away.

Today on this beautiful Saturday, her worst fear has turned into reality. With a kiss goodbye to a still semi-asleep Adena in bed, Kat left to meet Jane and Sutton for a quick catch up over breakfast because Sutton just _had_ to recount the details of her date from the previous night to her best friends over coffee and pancakes at their favourite diner that's perfectly placed in between both apartments. 

Promising to bring home lunch and spend the rest of their weekend together, Kat is greeted with nothing but the distant sound of cars passing by below her building.

"Adena?" She takes a few steps further into her apartment to look upstairs but it's safe to say that her girlfriend's not home. 

"Adena...?" She tries again and her voice wavers this time, uncertain and fearing for the worst, hoping by whispering her love's name a few more times she'd hear the turning of the key in the lock and Adena's slender frame walking through the door and into her arms. 

But no, no such luck. Her heart rate increases every minute Adena's not at home and walks towards the dining table. She picks up the abandoned phone and presses the screen awake to see that it's still switched on. She turns around the apartment helplessly, searching for hints of where her girlfriend might have gone.

Kat can't breathe. She plops down onto the nearest chair and takes out her phone from her pocket, thinking of who to call. Her shaky fingers immediately tapping the first contact on her screen which happens to be Jane.

"Hey, what's up—" Jane's chirpy voice comes through the speaker.

"Adena's missing."

Detecting the tremble in Kat's voice, Jane's mood shifts as she takes on a more serious tone. She presses the loudspeaker button so Sutton can listen in too.

"What do you mean she's missing?"

"I came home and she's not here and her phone's left on the table." Kat hugs herself, vulnerability wafting through the air, permeating radio waves that both Jane and Sutton are able to feel it too.

"Maybe she's just taking the trash out, Kat." Sutton supplies, trying to find a valid reasoning to her quell her friend's panic.

Kat shakes her head fiercely even though there's no one there to see it. "No, I took out the trash this morning on my way out to meet you guys. Even so, she should be back by now. Something's not right."

"Did you check around the house, maybe she left a note somewhere? To buy milk or something?" 

But Kat's brain is running faster than the speed of light. "What if the government came and took her? What if she's being deported as we speak?" Kat runs a hand through her hair. "Oh god, she's all alone she must be feeling so scar-"

"Okay, Kat, just breathe—" She can hear the rustling of keys and jackets over her own laboured breathing.

"I can't lose her," Tears form in her eyes, fat and heavy as they roll down her cheeks. Her heart feels like it's being crushed and that she may throw up anytime.

"Kat, just—"

And then there it is, the sound of the apartment door being unlocked. Unable to focus on what her friends have to say, she turns around in the chair just in time to see a flash of a familiar maroon blouse before looking back at the large windows in front of her.

The bone-chilling fear starts to melt off Kat's shoulders and spine as the imaginary boulder lifts off of her heart in order to help her breathe again. She's quick to wipe off her tears as her lips quiver in a relieved smile.

"Adena's home. I'm sorry. I'll call you back."

Kat stands up and throws her phone onto the nearest surface just as she hears Adena's voice greeting her.

Adena's camera is slung across her body, a rich smile on her sun-kissed face. Kat mentally scolds herself for overreacting, embarrassed by her latest breakdown just to backtrack half a second after, that no, she will _not_ be sorry for reacting the way she did. She'd have to question her feelings for Adena if she didn't.

Love can drive you crazy and fill you up with irrational fear. Love can be illogical. But in Kat’s case, it didn’t feel irrational or illogical.

Kat runs into surprised arms and squeezed, earning a yelp in return but feels Adena embracing her back with just as much love.

"Never do that to me again," Kat whispers into Adena's neck before placing a feather light kiss there.

It causes Adena to tremble pleasantly before arms were gently pushing her away. The residual fear in Kat's red-rimmed eyes must still be apparent because Adena's smile has turned into a worried pout and her arms move to loop around Kat's neck to rub at the back soothingly.

"What's wrong?"

Kat blows out a breath and shakes her head. "I-I came home and you weren't here. You left your phone on the table too."

It only takes Adena a moment to piece it all together.

"Oh, I must've forgotten." Adena looks around Kat to find her phone on the table. "It's an amazing day out and I didn't want to waste any time before it gets too warm again, so I grab my camera and went for a walk." She brings her camera up between the two of them and turns it on to quickly go through the photos she'd just taken during her walkabout in the city with Kat.

"I'm so sorry, Kat." Adena puts her camera away and leans into Kat's touch, forehead to forehead as she apologized. “I didn’t mean to make you go through that.”

"It's okay, it happens." Kat sighs because she didn't want her girlfriend to feel guilty for something so small but yet so significant. "I just don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

They both know Adena wants to say that she won't, but that's not true. The truth is there’s always a possibility of both their nightmares coming to life.

The truth is Kat can't picture her life without Adena anymore. When she closes her eyes to picture her future, Adena is always there. She can't imagine not waking up next to her every morning and going to bed without familiar, warm arms around her. She can't imagine spending every waking moment knowing the love of her life is somewhere far away, out of her reach. The mere thought of it makes her eyes shine with tears for the second time on this lovely Saturday. No, she won't allow it.

So she does the one thing that surprises not just herself, but Adena too.

"Marry me."

She's sure Adena choked on air, her eyes widening as she reacts to what Kat has just said.

"Kat," Adena softens after the initial surprise wears off, eyes tender and filled with so, _so_ much love for the woman in front of her. "You're not serious."

Kat's hands move to capture Adena's in her own, thumbs rubbing circles into the skin she's found.

"I'm so serious, Adena. I know it may seem like such a 'Kat' thing to do, to just blurt out or do whatever that's on my mind and then deal with the consequences later, but this," Kat swings their joined hands slightly. "this I'm all in. I don't want to live my life without you, I just can't."

Adena's eyes water at those words, she didn't need to say anything, the warmth in her eyes reflect the same feelings Kat feels about her and their relationship. They're so far gone that there is no turning back. This is it for the both of them, and they know it.

"I don't want you to do this just so I can get a green card." Adena tries to put some distance between them so they can talk about it properly, but Kat refuses to let go of her hands. It's natural for Adena to think this way. From an outsider's point of view, despite love, it's the next logical thing.

But _this_ is about them.

"It's not about that though." Kat lets go of one hand to cup Adena's cheek, looking her in the eye, resolute and the surest she has ever been. "Remember when you told me you're choosing to be here with me? I know it's not an easy thing, to wake up every day away from home and choosing to be here because I know how difficult I can be sometimes" That earns a small laugh from Adena. "I love you so much. So listen to me when I say this is not a choice for me. There's no choosing. You're it."

The sob that escapes Adena's mouth causes tears to fall from her own cheeks. Kat knows without a doubt that Adena loves her. She also knows Adena is a logical person and always thinks ahead. Yes, they have only been dating for slightly less than a year, but it feels right. _This_ feels right.

"Yes."

"Yeah?" Kat's smile is brilliant, even more beautiful in the Saturday afternoon light and Adena itches for her camera to capture the sight.

"Yes, Kat, I'll marry you. I love you."

Love makes you do crazy things, but as Adena whispers those words out into the world, her mind is peaceful and her heart is calm. 

They close the distance and pour everything they have into the kiss, refusing to pull away until they absolutely have to in order to suck in more air for the next one.

Lunch is forgotten, clothes are thrown onto the floor leaving a trail towards the bed as two women in love make silent vows to one another, one kiss and one touch at a time whilst the bustling city continues its glorious Saturday routine.


End file.
